Water Test Kits

[Floyds mum]

What do people reccommend?
Liquid ones?
What make (interpet/api)?

 

[mystus]

What do people reccommend?
Liquid ones?
What make (interpet/api)?

Lots of people on the forums use API freshwater master kit

 

[Truck]

i would buy saliferts, theyre more accurate than API IME and they last longer too

 

[Floyds mum]

ok thanx
Truckasauras can i have the site of somewhere that sells the whole kit rather than seperate ones if it does whole test kit?

 

[sjolliff]

I use the API master kit (freshwater)
im nearly empty now but lasted about 7 weeks and iv done alot of tests
24hr/12hr

 

[Truck]

ok thanx
Truckasauras can i have the site of somewhere that sells the whole kit rather than seperate ones if it does whole test kit?

they dont do an all in one kit

you need:
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
PH

 

[unknowntbeast]

I'm using API. It includes Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, and High Range pH

 

[Floyds mum]

My lfs test water for free, if i take it to them every week or so would that be an ok amount of time for water to be tested?

 

[arobinson1984]

Yes and no!

Weekly is an ok timescale to check your tank stats on a mature established tank which has been running a while with no probs.

If your tank is new or cycling then you really need a test kit so you can test whenever is necessary. During a cycle you need to be able to test 2/3 times a day normally and also if you suspec any probs or have any poorly looking fish you need to have a test on hand to check your water parameters.

I have an API master kit and do weekly tests on 3 tanks and it has lasted over a year now.

Andy

 

[waterdrop]

i would buy saliferts, theyre more accurate than API IME and they last longer too

Yes, seems pretty established that Salifert and Elos are probably more accurate, although more expensive. I use the API master kit and it certainly seems like its been a great tool for hundreds of beginners here. Truck, one issue I thought I'd remembered hearing once was that perhaps a few of the more accurate Salifert tests were more involved (more reagent bottles per test or more time for the procedure.) Can you comment on this? Is it accurate in some cases, not in others?

In the time I've been participating here, its seemed like the Nutrafin Mini-Master Test Kit has been the closest in popularity to the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, although a few have commented that the way the API switches to a completely different color for zero is quite helpful. The interpet tests have seemed to have more problems reported but I've not had experience with them and can't remember the specific problems. Certainly, tablet based solutions have seemed to have somewhat more problems, but I'm not sure how many make those types these days.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Truck]

i would buy saliferts, theyre more accurate than API IME and they last longer too

Yes, seems pretty established that Salifert and Elos are probably more accurate, although more expensive. I use the API master kit and it certainly seems like its been a great tool for hundreds of beginners here. Truck, one issue I thought I'd remembered hearing once was that perhaps a few of the more accurate Salifert tests were more involved (more reagent bottles per test or more time for the procedure.) Can you comment on this? Is it accurate in some cases, not in others?

In the time I've been participating here, its seemed like the Nutrafin Mini-Master Test Kit has been the closest in popularity to the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, although a few have commented that the way the API switches to a completely different color for zero is quite helpful. The interpet tests have seemed to have more problems reported but I've not had experience with them and can't remember the specific problems. Certainly, tablet based solutions have seemed to have somewhat more problems, but I'm not sure how many make those types these days.

~~waterdrop~~

theyre easy to use...some can be a bit more involving, but anyone can do it IME they really are quite accurate

 

[Ginga@139]

Must agree i bought the API master kit of eBay£15
very easy to use
colours are a bit close somtimes tho
i general only use the 3 ...ammonia , nitrites, nitrates, save the 4 tube for the most changed test just to reasure my self ive done it right
..lol

Ginga

 

[waterdrop]

i would buy saliferts, theyre more accurate than API IME and they last longer too

Yes, seems pretty established that Salifert and Elos are probably more accurate, although more expensive. I use the API master kit and it certainly seems like its been a great tool for hundreds of beginners here. Truck, one issue I thought I'd remembered hearing once was that perhaps a few of the more accurate Salifert tests were more involved (more reagent bottles per test or more time for the procedure.) Can you comment on this? Is it accurate in some cases, not in others?

In the time I've been participating here, its seemed like the Nutrafin Mini-Master Test Kit has been the closest in popularity to the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, although a few have commented that the way the API switches to a completely different color for zero is quite helpful. The interpet tests have seemed to have more problems reported but I've not had experience with them and can't remember the specific problems. Certainly, tablet based solutions have seemed to have somewhat more problems, but I'm not sure how many make those types these days.

~~waterdrop~~

theyre easy to use...some can be a bit more involving, but anyone can do it IME they really are quite accurate

OK, thanks for that truck. I've always thought it would be fun to use Salifert tests for individual detailed tests if one had a hunch one wanted to experiment with... WD

 

[OldMan47]

The real answer is that once the tanks are established and you get a feel for what your tanks need, you really only test when there is something not going to plan or you are setting up a new tank. I could not begin to tell you what the actual test results for most of my tanks would be except that I change water often enough to keep the pH from dropping or the nitrates from rising too much. On the other hand, two weeks ago I set up a new tank for some new fish and did a filter clone on their tank. I can tell you exactly what the chemistry of that tank did for the first week and have now dropped back to weekly testing since I was able to prove that the clone was effective during the first week but not on the first day. My new fish and I had to deal with a nasty nitrite spike that was raising the water to over 0.25 ppm in a single day and causing me to do 80% plus water changes daily. After that first spike, the filter settled right in and started taking care of both ammonia and nitrites nicely and I ended up backing off to just test every few days to make sure that nothing has gone wrong. In between tests, my fish are telling me that things are still fine.
The API tests are accurate as we need to monitor our fish's water and to troubleshoot problems that happen. The Nutrafin tests, which I have not used myself, seem to also suffice for that purpose. Although the Salifert tests may be more accurate, they are really not for everyone. They are for the folks that enjoy that kind of thing and are very concerned about accuracy, not the practical need of fish keeping. For practical fishkeeping the API tests are good enough.